Phonograph arm and needle-carrying magazine therefor



. Sept. 15, 1942. y, KURKJIAN 2295 905 PHONOGRAPH ARM AND NEEDLE CARRYING MAGAZINE THEREFOR Filed Feb. 14, 1941 i I I i I I I I I I l I I Patented Sept. 15, 1942 PHONOGEAPH ARM AND NEEDLE-CARRY- ING MAGAZINE THEREFOR Yervant H. Kurkjian, Hawthorne, N. J.

Application February 14', 1941, Serial No. 378,998

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a phonograph arm and needle magazine therefor, and has for one of its objects the production of a simple and efficient means for facilitating the placing of a magazine containing needles within the arm and providing means for feeding needles from the magazine to the Pick-up head.

A further object of this invention is the production of a simple and eflicient needle-carrying magazine which is so constructed as to support the needles in a manner to protect the playing point of the needle.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear throughout the following specification and claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a phonograph arm showing the magazine in position, certain parts being shown in longitudinal section;

Figure 2 is a top plan view certain parts being shown in section;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure l, certain parts being shown in longitudinal section;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the By referring to the drawing, it will be seen. that I0 designates the phonograph arm which is supported in the conventional manner upon the standard I I. A pick-up head i2 is suspended from the lower face of the arm it near the outer end of the arm, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. This head I2 is provided with a needle-receiving socket l3 and carries a set screw I 4 for holding the needle 15 in a set position in the socket IS.

The arm I0 is provided with a longitudinal slot l6 formed in the upper face of the arm, and a pair of spaced guide flanges ll are extended downwardly into the arm II! from the edges of the slot It as shown in Figure 5. A vertically extending needle-receiving channel it is carried at the outer end of the arm It just above the socket l3 of the head I2. A vertically sliding plunger I9 is mounted on the arm 18 above the channel 18 and is adapted to be manually pushed into the channel l8 for forcing the needle 29 longitudinally of the channel l8, out through the lower open end of the channel and into the socket l3, after first removing the needle l5.

ill

A removable magazine 21 fits through the slot I6 and between the guide flanges ll, as shown in Figure 5. This magazine 2| preferably comprises a rectangular body formed of cardboard or other similar material, open at its forward and rear ends and also being provided with an open bottom. The magazine 2| is preferably provided upon each side with a longitudinally extending inwardly pressed rib 22 for the purpose of engaging the needles carried within the magazine 2| and supporting the sides of the needles away from the inner side walls of the magazine. The bottom portion of the magazine 2! is provided with inwardly bent ledge portions 23 upon which the side walls of the point of the needle are adapted to rest and the extreme lower edges of the magazine are bent outwardly to provide flanges 24 to rest upon the bottom lil of the arm Ill.

The flanges 24 are of sufficient height to sup port the apex of the point of the needleabove the bottom Ill in the manner shown in Figure 5, thereby protecting the record-contacting point of the needle in that the point will be supported upon the ledge 23 along the tapering side Walls of the needle point above the apex of the point. Consequently, as the needles slide longitudinally of the magazine 2| in a manner hereinafter described, the points will be held above the bottom It! and above the bottom edge of the magazine, as shown in detail in Figure 5. The extremities of the points of the needles therefore will not wear or become dull as the needles are fed longitudinally of the magazine. The magazine 2! is a provided with an upwardly extending lip 25 at one end to facilitate the removal of the magazine from the slot l6 and the placing of the magazine in position. The needles are retained within the magazine by means of breakable pap-erretaining strips 26' which are pasted across the ends of the magazine 2| but which under pressure will readily break to permit the needles to move out through the end of the magazine.

A longitudinally movable needle-feeding plunger 2'! is carried within the arm I E] and the forward end thereof is adapted to extend into one end of the magazine 2| and under the pressure of the plunger the strips 26 extending across the ends the magazine will be broken to permit the feeding of the needles. The rear end of the plunger 2'! is supported by means of a transversely extending pin 28 which carries knobs 29 upon opposite sides of the arm Ill, the pin 28 extending through longitudinal slots 30 formed in the arm I0. A coil spring 3i engages the pin 23 and rear end of the plunger 21 to normally urge the plunger forwardly of the arm H]. A pivoted latch 32 is carried by one side of the arm and is adapted to engage one of the knobs 29 to hold the plunger 21 in a retracted position while placing the magazine 2! in position.

The operation of the device is as follows:

When it is desired to reload the arm In, the plunger [9 is forced down to the position shown in Figure 3, and the needle 15 is removed from the head l2. The knobs 29 and pin 28 are moved backwardly within the slots 33 and the latch 32 is moved to an engaging position with one of the knobs 29 to hold the plunger 21 in a retracted position. The old magazine is removed by grip-- ping the tongue 25 and moving the magazine rearwardly and then upwardly through the slot I 6. The slot l6 preferably terminates short of the outer end of the arm l0 to provide an overhanging flange for the magazine when the magazine is inserted and then pushed forwardly of the arm. A new magazine is placed in position after the removal of the old magazine or empty magazine, the new magazine being inserted downwardly through the slot l6 and is then moved forwardly to the position shown in full lines in Figure 1. The latch 32 is then released and the plunger 21 is moved forwardly to contacting position with the strip of paper 26 which extends across the rear of the magazine. The plunger I9 is then pulled upwardly to the position shown in Figure 1, and the pressure of the spring 3! will break the strip 26 which extends across one end of the magazine and the series of needles will move forwardly of the magazine to a point where one needle will fit within the channel IS. The plunger I9 is then moved downwardly causing the needle 20 to be ejected downwardly into the socket [3 where the needle may be fixed in position by the set screw Hi. When it is desired to renew .the needle in the pick-up head, the old needle is released from the pick-up head ii, the plunger I9 is moved to the position shown in Figure 1, thereby permitting the plunger 21 to move the series of needles longitudinally of the magazine and move a new needle into the channel H3. The plunger I9 is then again moved downwardly to the position shown in Figure 3 after the old needle has been removed from the head l2 and a new needle will be forced into the socket l3 where it may be locked in position by the set screw 14,

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that a very simple and efiicient means has been provided for supporting a needle carrying magazine within the phonograph or pick-up arm I0, and that means has also been provided for facilitating the feeding of the needles to the pick-up head. By providing a magazine, needles will always be handy so long as the magazine is within the arm containing a supply of needles.

It should be understood that certain changes may be made in the construction of the device, so long as such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, What I claim 1s:

1. In combination with a phonograph arm having a magazine receiving slot in the top face thereof, a removable magazine carried by the arm and adapted to fit through said slot into said arm, a pick-up head, means for moving needles from the magazine to the pick-up head, said magazine comprising a body having a longitudinally extending socket, a spring-pressed plunger slidably mounted within the arm and adapted to extend into one end of the magazine for moving needles longitudinally of the magazine, means for holding the plunger in a retracted position while said magazine is being placed in position, an upwardly extending lip carried by the magazine and movable longitudinally of said slot, and said upwardly extending lip projecting upwardly through said slot to facilitate the removal of said magazine from said arm.

2. In combination with a phonograph arm, a removable magazine carried by the arm, a pickup head, means for moving needles from the magazine to the pick-up head, said magazine comprising a body having a longitudinally extending socket, a spring-pressed plunger slidably mounted within the arm and adapted to extend into one end of the magazine for moving needles longitudinally of the magazine, the arm having a slot, a pin carried by said plunger and slidably mounted in said slot, and a latch engaging the pin for holding the plunger in a retracted position while said magazine is being placed in position.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a phonograph needle-carrying magazine adapted to be placed in a needle-ejecting tone arm comprising an elongated body having open opposite ends, breakable strips normally extending across the open ends and being adapted to be broken to facilitate the longitudinal feeding of the needles through the magazine, said magazine having an open bottom, inwardly extending ledges formed adjacent the bottom of the magazine to provide rests and trick-ways for the side faces of the points of needles supported within the magazine and to support the extremities of the points in free positions, and supporting flanges carried along the bottom edge of the magazine and constituting flanges depending from said ledges for supporting the lower end of needles carried within the magazine above the bottom of the magazine.

YERVANT H. KURKJIAN. 

